Osorio's "Autist-Topoi" in #ActuallyAutistic

In her article, "I am #ActuallyAutistic, Hear Me Tweet," Ruth Osorio discusses the history and mechanics behind hashtag activism, specifically diving into the role of #ActuallyAutistic within the autism community. The author mentions how hashtags create a space for rhetors who have been “denied a public platform” to share stories that are “not represented in dominant culture" (9). Topoi are rhetoric that is widely agreed upon and commonly used to make points about something. For example, dominant topoi surrounding autism include the arguments that autism is bad, that it's a linear spectrum, that somebody can be mildly autistic, and that autism is only present in children. These are common misconceptions, so Osorio introduces the phrase "autist-topoi," which encompasses topoi about autism that comes from actually autistic people.

This article and the class discussions around it connect very strongly to my chosen movement because I, too, want to focus on #ActuallyAutistic. The hashtag was first created in 2011 to form a place for autist-topoi to be discussed and shared to a larger audience. Gaining more traction as the days progress, the hashtag allows autistic people to engage as a community and to assert themselves and their shared identity with pride, fighting back against oppressive topoi. The #ActuallyAutistic topoi disproves the violent topoi inflicted upon the autistic community by outsiders who do not have the experience of being autistic as it allows for voices to be uplifted, listened to, and deemed important.

One topos within the hashtag points out that there is no set look to being autistic. Autism can come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, ages, ethnicities, etc. A massive issue concerning autism is the stereotyping. If you're an autistic person that isn't a White, male child, then chances are you've probably been told that you don't look autistic. Many conversations within the hashtag aim to assert that being told this is not a compliment at all. It is actually incredibly invalidating and harmful, both on an individual level and to the community at large.